An Ordinary Life

“I’d much rather work at a computer than make wicker baskets” – disabled people hit the mainstream in 1980s Britain

“I’d much rather work at a computer than make wicker baskets” – this film looks at the mainstream inclusion of disabled people in employment, education and the built environment. It features a unique computer consultancy business, run by disabled people themselves, and how ideas like inclusive design can benefit us all.

Wycliffe Noble, one of the film’s contributors, was a pioneering architect and ally of disabled people. He was a champion of the idea of Inclusive Design, which asked designers to look at the built environment in terms of access for all users. Some of the practical solutions he devised are shown in the film. This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history.